According To Plan
by Madman007
Summary: A few months after the Caamas Document Affair, a natural tragedy has struck the former capital of Bothawui, Lktim. This story is dedicated to the victims and survivors of Haiti. **Winner of Star Wars Book Report Fan Fiction Face Off 2012**
1. Part I

**According To Plan**

**Part I**

**

* * *

Setting**: A natural tragedy has struck the former capital of Bothawui, Lktim.

**Time:** A few months after the Caamas Document Affair.

**Characters:** Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, COS Borsk Fey'lya

_This story is dedicated to the victims and survivors of Haiti._

* * *

Luke Skywalker looked out at the picture of pain and misery through the command center's viewport. He had seen devastation before. Not like this. Most of the destruction he had seen in his years were caused by the living. He had seen X-Wings and TIE fighters blow up and disappear into space, reducing it's parts and their pilots to particles of dust floating in the vacuum. He had never actually seen a whole planet become obliterated by super laser fire, but he did fly through the asteroid field that was the remains of Alderaan. That kind of destruction was immediate. The victims did not have enough time to even think about their own demise. Luke often wondered whether it was better to face death within seconds of knowing it was coming, or to suffer the knowledge over several days underneath rock and mud.

Yes, the destruction on Bothawui was different.

It was natural. There was no laser blasts that caused it. There was no ulterior motives among the Bothan spy network. This was purely nature acting on its own.

Luke had been to Lktim before. It was one of the places he considered for his Jedi Academy years ago. The terrain of forest, river beds, and mountains would have been perfect for his students. It was the politics of the community that prevented Luke from choosing the site. It was always politics on Bothawui. What will politics do for the Bothans now? He could no longer recognize the buildings in Lktim Square, including the huge domed Capital building. The landslide had buried most of the city. Lktim was no longer a city. It was a wasteland of mud and rock.

How many lives were buried under there? Countless.

Luke turned away on purpose. If he spent any more time watching the spectacle he would surely not be able to hold his emotions in.

_And why should I hold them in? _There were no more Sith Lords to hide them from. Luke considered that he had grown too accustomed to holding his emotions in over the years. Yet, this catastrophe made his emotions hover above the surface somehow. The spectacle was eerily familiar. Luke just couldn't understand why.

The door to the command center swished open and in walked his sister, Leia. Following her was Han and Chewbacca. Luke went to her immediately, noticing her tear-stained cheeks moments before they hugged.

"This is so devastating," she sobbed.

"I know. How are you holding up?"

Leia sniffed as she faced her brother. "Not well. This is tragedy on such a grand scale that I'm speechless."

Luke nodded and turned to Han. "Any word on the latest numbers?"

Han blew out a long breath and replied, "Latest figures are in the hundreds of thousands. Maybe five-hundred thousand. Maybe more."

Luke said, "Maybe we'll find survivors."

Han scoffed. "Kid, you haven't been down there, yet. It's a wall of rock and mud that's several kilos long. Rescue attempts are going to change to recovery missions pretty quick. There's dead bodies everywhere. And not just Bothans. There was a human outpost in Lktim ever since the Empire left it. I can't even imagine if this happened on Drev'starn's side of the mountains."

"How is Fey'lya doing?"

"How do you think, Luke?" snapped Leia. "He's beside himself."

"Did he have family here?"

Leia nodded. "A cousin in his own clan. There's no word...yet."

"We'll find them," said Luke, only half believing his own words.

Han gave a grim reply. "Odds aren't good, kid."

Luke eyed the ex-smuggler. "I thought you didn't like hearing the odds."

Han gave his famous crooked smile. "That's only for outrageous piloting stunts. I always beat those odds."

Chewbacca started a few grunts and roars.

Han added, "Of course, that's with your help, buddy. We both beat those odds together." He looked out at the scene in the viewport. "The odds of surviving _that_ are not good."

Luke pleaded, "But I can still feel them, Han, in the Force."

"But, how do we get to them, kid? We can't blast our way through to them. That would kill them."

The Wookie yelped a series of barks and growls that sounded like a question.

Han replied to him, "That's an idea, Chewie, but excavation would take too long."

Luke cut in to say, "That may be our only answer, Han."

"By the time we dig through under all that mess, kid, the survivors would be dead from lack of food and water."

"Maybe not for some. They might be trapped."

"It may be too late, kid."

"We won't know that until we try and find out, will we?"

The sound of the doors opening again interrupted Luke and Han's argument. Coming inside the command center were two Bothans. One was Chief Of State Borsk Fey'lya and the other was dressed in a white lab uniform. Fey'lya walked over to the viewport and greeted no one as he was uncharacteristically silent. The Bothan in uniform approached Luke and addressed him.

"You must be Jedi Master Luke Skywalker."

"Yes."

"Ah, I was told you would be up here. I am Science Officer Pel'aya. I am in charge of the rescue effort. I must say it is an honor to meet all of you."

"How is the rescue going so far?" Leia asked.

"Believe it or not, we've already found survivors. Well, they actually found us."

"How's that?" asked Luke.

"On the far edge of the landslide, we found a few survivors coming out of the rocks and mud. They spent hours digging their way through from the Capital building. The dome collapsed from the weight of the rock but not fully. It created a pocket of space that allowed many Bothans to survive once the landslide hit."

Han gasped, "And they've been under that since it happened?"

Pel'aya nodded. "Apparently so."

Leia calculated and exclaimed, "That's over three of your days without food or water."

"Yes, many are dehydrated and there are injuries, but they're alive. There's more survivors inside the Capital who are being helped out as we speak. We think there may be others along the way trapped inside other buildings."

Leia stated, "It's a credit to your race that they had the endurance to stay alive."

"Yes, I am very proud of that."

Chewbacca yelped a comment.

Han chuckled. "No, I don't think the Bothans have any Wookie blood in them, Chewie."

Pel'aya remarked, "No Wookie blood that I know of, but I'll take that as a compliment."

Luke changed the subject to one that Pel'aya was more comfortable with. "Any ideas on how this could have happened?"

Pel'aya breathed and stated with confidence, "There are indications that the heavy rains they've been having on this side of the Kurual'grast Mountains were a contributing factor. They have had landslides before but nothing of this magnitude. Preliminary reports speculate that the lack of lidium on this side of the Kurual'grast combined with the heavy rains could have triggered–"

"You're going to blame the miners for this tragedy?" boomed the voice of Fey'lya. He spoke so suddenly that Pel'aya jumped.

"No, sir. I didn't mean to indicate it was their fault directly."

"Directly? You mean it's their fault by accident? Remember, Officer Pel'aya, I was in charge of mining at that end of the mountains at one time. I hope you're not implying _my_ involvement in this tragedy."

"No! Sir, no. That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I only meant that the lidium had been depleted on this side of the Kurual'grast. On Drev'starn's side, many kilometers away, the amount of lidium is more rich."

"And?" Fey'lya demanded.

"Well, the sedimentary rock without lidium can't take the pressure of a standard week's worth of heavy rain. Lidium is so dense that it's almost what holds the mountain together."

"Don't play me for a fool, Pel'aya. I was involved in many mining practices when I was here and I've never heard of such an explanation of lidium."

Pel'aya gulped and replied carefully, "Because, sir, we haven't had this much rain in this region in decades. The combination of the rains and the lack of lidium could be the reason for the enormous landslide."

"Because of the mining we did in the days of the Empire," reiterated Fey'lya.

"I haven't proven anything yet, but I'd say that could be the reason."

"So, we're back to where I started. You _are_ blaming approximately five-hundred thousand Bothan deaths on my own mining practices."

Leia cut in. "That's not what he's saying, Counselor. He's giving his reasons for how this tragedy happened naturally."

"Naturally?" Fey'lya barked. "Yes, of course this was a natural disaster. Do you think that matters to the galaxy?"

Leia sighed heavily as she always did with Fey'lya. "What are you talking about?"

"You haven't heard the gossip on the HoloNet?"

Before she answered, she noticed Han look away. He knew the gossip. And for Han Solo to be silent about gossip meant that it was bad. She replied to Fey'lya, "No, I haven't had the time."

Fey'lya emitted a grunt and said, "They're saying that this is the Bothans' just reward for their involvement in the Caamas destruction. Look at the timing. It's only been two standard months since the Caamas Document was found which proved that Bothans were involved. Bothans were already being judged even before then and now the galaxy knows it for a fact. Don't you realize? This catastrophe was a sign of our penance."

Leia snapped, "That's preposterous, Counselor."

"Is it? Ask your brother, the Great Jedi. Ask him what the Force has to say about the price Bothans had to pay for our mistake. The Force is supposed to bind us together, right Jedi? What if it also balances what it considers good and evil acts."

Luke did not know how to answer Fey'lya's accusation. The Force did not act out against a whole race. Could it? Would the Force send several thousand tons of rock and mud on a city for revenge? A true Jedi did not seek revenge. Did that include the Force itself? Luke wanted to speak about this to Fey'lya. For some reason, he couldn't. As it turned out, he didn't have to. Han beat him to it.

"You're not seriously blaming the Force for all those deaths out there?"

"Why not?" Fey'lya shot back. "The Force was there when Caamas was destroyed. The Force was there when your wife's Alderaan was obliterated. Why wouldn't the Force be here when it brought down a mountain on the city of Lktim?"

_You're right, Counselor Fey'lya. The Force was present in all of those instances that you mentioned. The difference is that it wasn't the _cause_ of any of them. The Empire instigated the destruction of Caamas. The few Bothans who were involved only gave the Empire the data to do so. And Grand Moff Tarkin chose Alderaan to be the Death Star's first live target. He made that decision independent from the Emperor. And a rare combination of natural events caused this landslide. The Force does bind our galaxy together. It can speak to those who can listen to it. But the Force is not sentient. It's not made up of gods who make decisions on who lives and dies. It doesn't have the sense to seek out revenge. This catastrophe just happened. There was no reason for why it did. It's all according to plan..._

That's what Luke wished he could have said to Fey'lya. Instead, he was silent. He didn't know why.

_It's all according to plan._

Yet...he did know.

Luke's lack of response played into Fey'lya's hands. "What? No words of wisdom from the great Jedi Master? Did your almighty Force tell you not to answer me?" He sniffed. "And to think I put you in charge of the rescue mission. Some hero you are."

Chewbacca yelled at the same time Han lunged at the Chief of State. "Hey! I know you're upset about your relatives. You can't go on blaming anyone or anything because there is no blame here. What happened here happened. Period. No reason. Part of nature. If you want to direct your anger at anyone, me and my family will be ready." He stood closer to the Bothan and coldly uttered, "But if you _ever_ question Luke Skywalker's heroism in front of me again I will pull out your fur so fast you won't have time to feel cold."

Chewbacca called out in agreement.

Han gestured a thumb at the Wookie. "And then you'll have _him_ to deal with."

Fey'lya's fur ruffled in anger. "You can bark out all the threats at me that you want, Solo. Just remember that I have the power to send you and your co-pilot away for a long time. Ackbar was child's play compared to what I can do with you."

Han inched even closer to the Bothan's snout and dared to say, "Try me."

"Stop this! Both of you!" Leia shouted. "We have more important things to do here than a kriffin' pissing match! It doesn't matter how it happened. What matters is that there are still survivors under that landslide. The longer we keep arguing here, the shorter their lives will be." She turned to her husband and his co-pilot. "Han. Chewie. Go down and help with the rescue mission."

"But, I–"

"Go now, Han."

He nodded for Chewie to follow him and they left the room.

Leia glared at Fey'lya. "Can you look into getting more transport speeders here?"

"What for?" the Bothan innocently asked.

She didn't have time to argue with him. "For survivors. If there's that many trapped under the Capital then there may be more elsewhere. We'll need to get them medical supplies as well as food and water."

Fey'lya said grimly, "And who is going to pay for all of that? The New Republic funds are scarce as it is."

It was Leia's turn to come up to Fey'lya's face and growl, "Don't you dare tell me you are going to let your own people die because of the lack of funds. What is one Bothan worth these days?"

"You know as well as I do that the Senate won't approve funds in time."

"Then find them somewhere else. Ask for donations across the galaxy. Put up a site for an Emergency Bothan Relief fund on the HoloNet."

Fey'lya scoffed. "Most of the galaxy won't hand us money."

"But some will, Counselor. That will still be money we didn't have before. The galaxy may still surprise you. Your cousin may be one of the survivors we save. What would he say if he knew you almost ignored him because you were worried about the money to keep him alive?"

Fey'lya nodded. "You are right, Princess. I will set it up. And I'll see about getting those transports with medical supplies here. I'm sure Drev'starn can spare some."

"Fine."

He hesitated as he started to say, "Leia." She stopped cold to listen seriously because the Bothan had never addressed her so casually before. "I am sorry about my outburst. This disaster is too overwhelming."

_Meaning my husband was right_, she wanted to translate. But Borsk Fey'lya would never fully admit his mistakes. Yet, it was something even if he merely implied his guilt. She looked back at her brother who was once again staring out at the spectacle. "That's understandable, Counselor. It's just that I'm not the one you should apologize to."

She caught his faint regret along with his quick glance at Luke before he said, "I know. I should get going." He turned and left the room.

She addressed Pel'aya. "I want you to be honest. I don't judge like some do. Is excavation the only way we can get to those survivors?"

Pel'aya slowly nodded. "It's the safest method to remove the rock and mud. Although, I do suggest we use water to hose it down. It will soften the mud and we can wash it away. All we'll need is some heavy duty pumps. I don't know how we'd be able to remove the larger pieces of rock."

"I can get some of the Jedi to help out there. We know the Force didn't cause this but we sure can use it to our advantage. Can you see into getting those pumps?"

"Yes, of course." He paused and said, "Thank you for being here, Leia Organa Solo. I know it was your choice to come here after this tragedy."

"It wasn't a question of choice, Pel'aya. I _had_ to come. The actions of a few Bothans are not enough for me to ignore the lives of other Bothans. Don't forget that if it were not for another group of Bothans, the Empire would still be in power today. And I seriously doubt you would be getting the same help today if they were in charge."

Pel'aya grinned widely and said, "I'll get those pumps and hoses in here at once. Thank you again." He nodded his farewell and turned to leave.

Brother and sister were left alone in the room.

She walked up from behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He just kept staring out of the viewport. "Are you all right? It's not like you to stay silent when someone questions the Force."

"I don't know what happened. I wanted to answer him. I wanted to defend the Force. Something stopped me."

"You froze up. It happens to the best of us. Even me sometimes. Guess that proves you're human after all."

"I've never claimed to be anything else."

"Some may have."

Luke blew out a long breath. "What if Han is right? What if we can't find survivors down there?"

"Of all people, you are going to listen to the cynical Han Solo? You heard Pel'aya. There's a good chance there are more Bothans under that Capital building and maybe other buildings. There's always hope. You taught me that, brother."

"Yes, I know. This time, I think hope is too much to ask for."

Leia smiled and whispered in his ear, "Do you know what you need to do right now?"

"What?"

"Go find your fiancee."

* * *

End of Part I

tbc

**Author's note:** I wrote this in retaliation of certain comments made by a famous celebrity on the radio and TV who spoke about the survivors of Haiti in such a negative way that I gritted my teeth. The victims of Haiti are not a specific category of people who shall not be judged by the color of their skin or by their monetary level in society. They are human and they are dying. Please give to the American Red Cross whatever you can. Even five dollars can go a long way.

Haiti Relief and Development

.net/arc3/site/Donation2?idb=0&df_id=1320&=form1


	2. Part II

**According To Plan**

**Part II**

Luke couldn't help acknowledging the skill of his sister to know exactly what would ease his mind at any given moment. Whether it was part of the Force training he had given her over the years or merely the instinct embedded into her personality, it didn't matter. He was impressed in both cases. Leia knew that for him to see his beautiful fiancé would bring joy back into his consciousness.

Luke left the temporary command center and entered the chaos that was Ltkim. As he passed through the rescue workers, busy with figuring out how to pry survivors out of mud and rock, Luke felt ashamed that he even thought about being happy. It was his evidence that he needed to get away from the disaster at some point. He had to make himself think about something else. The best way to do that was to speak to the woman he was going to marry.

_Mara Jade. My fiancé._

He could barely believe that they were finally admitting to themselves that they belonged together. In the past few months since he and Mara made their engagement public, they were treated to the same type of responses.

_Finally!_

_It's about time!_

_What took you two so long?_

Neither Luke nor Mara gave replies to those comments. They both knew why it took them so long. Both were too stubborn to admit their feelings toward each other. Luke only wished that he had asked for her hand in marriage under more traditional circumstances than facing their deaths. Luke mentioned this to Mara a few days after they returned from Niruan. She said there would be no reason to ask her again because he already had her answer.

"The element of surprise is gone," she had said.

_Always the practical one_, Luke thought.

Yet, one night when they were out to dinner with his family, he suddenly got on his knees and opened up a small case that contained a newly purchased diamond ring. The look on her face proved her statement false. Everybody went crazy with utter joy. He placed the ring on her finger and whispered into her ear, "Surprise."

"I'm going to kill you, Skywalker," she whispered back.

"I've heard _that_ before," he bemused.

He smiled at the memory as he passed by the triage where Leia said Mara was working. He stopped himself just on the edge of the security tent and caught sight of her immediately. His joy returned despite seeing her in a casual white shirt splattered with brown mud. She was helping to shovel some of the rock away. She had her red-gold hair tied up behind her head in a single ponytail. Perspiration coated her fair skin. He had to admit that her current appearance was rather sexy.

It was that thought from him which surrendered his presence to her. She looked up at him as she continued to shovel. "You look too bored, Skywalker. Why don't you make yourself busy?"

"I'm having much more fun watching you."

"I wasn't joking. Seriously, now that you're here, there's something you can do with me."

He approached her as she stopped shoveling and leaned on the tool. When he got closer, he uttered just loud enough so only she could hear, "There's a whole list of things I'd like to do with you."

She sighed in frustration. "Get your head out of the gutter, Skywalker. Are you going to help or act like a sex-deprived teenager?"

"Sorry. What do you need?"

"There's a huge slab of permacrete over here that we can't move. It's too large for me to lift it in the Force and I don't want to hear about how size doesn't matter right now. I thought maybe we both can cut our way through it with our lightsabers."

She walked him over to the enormous piece of permacrete that was once part of a wall. As soon as he approached it, he could sense the presence of several minds in the Force underneath. "You sure we're not going to hit any survivors?"

"The rock is too thick. Once we cut it down thin enough we can break through manually. They feel too faint to be directly under the slab. They may be trapped."

Luke looked impressed. "Yeah. Good call. I don't feel that they're in pain. They're just anxious to get out."

She gave her shovel to a Bothan rescue worker and she reached for her lightsaber and ignited it. "You ready?"

He reached for his own lightsaber to ignite it and nodded that he was ready. They started cutting though the permacrete like butter but the slab was very thick. It took them over an hour to cut a hole through to the other side. Once they reached a point where it was thin enough, they took a shovel and crashed through to make a hole. The cries of joy were no longer just in the Force. They could hear a crowd of voices underneath. Sure enough, there were hundreds of survivors. Mostly Bothan, but some were human and other various species. They had been trapped inside the basement of a large building. All were dehydrated and hungry. Not all of the survivors could escape through the hole that Mara and Luke made on foot. Some had to be taken out on stretchers. The survivors were immediately taken to the triage where they were to be treated.

Luke didn't have time to feel the thrill of finding survivors alive. He was looking for Mara. He could feel her strong will to keep going. He found her in what was left of the basement where the survivors were trapped. Searchlights were placed on the ground to illuminate the room. She seemed to be studying the opposite end of the torn basement walls.

"What are you thinking?" Luke asked as he came up beside her.

"Thought you would have known that already."

Quick, defensive answers. Mara's own mental walls were intact. "Not always. Our bond in the Force is still new even to me. I haven't learned all of the features."

"Meaning you haven't learned the kinks in my armor yet."

"That's not what I meant. Come on, it took us more than an hour to get through here. You need to rest."

"Can't. Look past those shattered windows. See the mud on top of it?"

Luke shrugged. "Yes."

"The mud on top isn't as wet as the mud below."

"And?"

"Something is making the dirt there dry. Means there's air coming from somewhere."

"Probably how these survivors were kept alive."

"Right, but I was thinking more on what's behind it. A tunnel? One that was created by the toppling of these buildings." She examined the area around her doing a slow rotation. "Can't fit a loader down here."

"Pel'aya mentioned something about getting a hose to knock away the mud and pump it out."

"That would work. If you have a powerful enough pump. It'll get messy for sure. Hope you're not wearing that outfit to dinner anytime soon. We have to keep going." She arched her head back to glance at him. The limited light created shadows on her face through her hair. He thought she never looked more beautiful. Luke shook off the thought for the moment and agreed with her.

Within a half hour, Pel'aya got the high-powered jet hose and set up the pumps to suck out the loose mud and dirt. Luke and Mara stayed ahead of the hoses in case they ran into any large pieces of rock or permacrete. They reached beyond the basement windows and just as Mara suspected there was a low tunnel created by slabs of former walls of buildings. The problem was that the path wasn't thoroughly hollow. It took them several hours to blast through with water not only to continue further for survivors but also to make a large enough path to get them out. Eventually, they came upon a slab of permacrete that was still upright. Luke and Mara could sense the minds behind the slab. They were faint. And they seemed to be without hope.

That mood changed after Luke and Mara ignited their lightsabers to cut through the slab. Inside there were about a hundred Bothans expressing as much joy as their weak bodies could. Luke cut a larger hole out of the slab and entered into another former basement of a building. Once the lights had been placed, he could see the survivors. And a greater number of dead. When all the survivors were taken out by foot or stretcher, the bodies of the dead were covered and brought out with honor.

Luke watched the last of the bodies being carried out. He was weakened himself by the sight, almost as if the life were draining out of him. He couldn't take much more. He saw Mara on the opposite side of the area. Once again, she was studying. Her mind was focused. Too focused. He came up to her. "What is it?"

She replied in her monotone voice. The one that meant all business. "We have two pinpoints of location. I think I know where we are. That first building had to be the Bank Of Ltkim. We dug through about a few kilometers to the Northeast. If my memory of Ltkim's layout serves, this building was its courthouse."

Luke looked around at the area and could see only mud covered desks and storage units. Nothing to indicate a courthouse. "How can you tell?"

"Did you notice the business attire of some of the survivors? They had the Bothan Judicial insignia on their suits. Only judges wear those."

"Oh. Listen, I think it's time for a break. We've been at this for half a day."

"Can't stop. Have to keep going. There may be more survivors."

"Mara, the deeper we go in the more dead bodies we find."

She abruptly turned to him and snapped, "And what do we tell the ones who aren't dead? 'Sorry, we were too tired to come after you.' We can't stop, Skywalker!"

"Can you just stop for a moment?"

"A moment may be all they have," she shouted at him.

"And when do we stop, Mara? Do we stop when we've collected all the hundreds of thousands dead bodies across Ltkim? We've saved hundreds today, Mara."

"Five hundred. Including this batch. Five hundred...out of a million." Her voice started to crack with emotion. "Do you know how much of a small percentage that is?"

"I do." He could now feel her mental wall start to break down. He could feel the frustration mixed with sadness that she had been holding back since he found her earlier that day.

"Then you know...why we can't stop." Her voice was shaking now. Tinged with pure emotion. "We can't. We can't...stop." She was on the verge of tears now. He closed the gap between them and held her in his arms. She lost all control of her emotions and let go. She sobbed loudly against his shoulder. He held her head in his natural hand and allowed her to cry.

After she calmed down, he whispered to her, "We can't save everyone, Mara."

She chuckled through sniffs, "I'll savor the irony of _you_ telling _me_ that."

"I learned more than you think on Niruan."

"I'd like to wager on that."

He smiled. "_That's_ my Mara." He paused and said, "I know this tragedy has been tough on everyone. Even Fey'lya."

She tilted her head up at his face and cried, "Really?"

He reached to wipe away a tear from her cheek and replied, "Yes. This is his home planet. He had family here and he doesn't know if they're dead or alive. I can understand his pain."

"Guess I can't blame him."

And look, you say we only saved five hundred. Pel'aya told me they are finding survivors all around the city."

"What's left of it."

He grasped her arms gently to hold her at arms length to suggest, "Why don't we go back to the Falcon? It's almost dusk. By the time we clean up and find some food it'll be time for bed."

"You sure we can find something edible in Han's fridge?"

"Don't count on it. We both need to get away from this for a while. We can come back fresh tomorrow."

"A refresher does sound nice."

"Perfect. Besides, I have to tell you about what happened to me with Fey'lya."

"Oh, this I have to hear."

"Then let's get out of this mudhole."

* * *

Part 3 coming very soon.


	3. Part III

**According To Plan**

**Part III**

* * *

Luke and Mara took turns in the _Millennium Falcon's _refresher. It was barely big enough to accommodate a regular sized human. Luke always wondered how Chewie managed with such a small space. After Luke cleaned and changed first, Mara took over the refresher. Luke sat in the main area in the booth behind the chess board in silence. The ship was empty save for him and Mara. Leia was still with Fey'lya and Han was with Chewie helping with the rescue efforts on the other side of the city. It was getting dark outside so Luke expected them back soon. Meanwhile, he thought of playing a game of solitaire Holochess. That action was interrupted when Mara came out of the refresher. She changed into a terrycloth tunic but she didn't bother to dry her hair. The wetness of it made her hair look dark red rather than gold red.

She eased into the booth to snuggle beside Luke. She expressed in frustration, "I'll be so glad when I get my own ship. That refresher isn't large enough for a Sullustan to fit inside."

Luke smirked to himself as he thought of the plans for his wedding gift to her.

She crinkled her brow. "What was that? Something about a ship? Oh, sorry. When _we_ get _our_ ship."

Luke sent the thought away and replied, "You're getting good at that."

"You know I won't stop practicing. So, tell me about your meeting with Fey'lya."

"He tried to say Pel'aya was blaming him for the tragedy."

"Typical."

"Then he blamed the Force for the tragedy."

"What? How can you accuse the Force for causing a natural disaster?"

"He tried."

"What did you tell him?"

Luke hesitated to answer. Too long for Mara Jade.

"Luke?"

"I...I didn't say anything," he answered meekly.

Her eyes widened. "You mean you let that Bothan blowhard patronize you and you took it?"

"Han defended me. So did Chewie."

"What about you?"

"I _wanted_ to answer him. I had what I wanted to say in my head. Something stopped me. I just froze."

"You froze? That's not like you."

"That's what Leia said."

"You think it was because of the tragedy?"

"I don't know. I haven't been around this kind of tragedy before. At least, I don't think I have."

"You don't think? Didn't you say you flew through what was left of Alderaan in this very ship?"

"Yes, but we didn't witness any survivors."

"Probably because there weren't any."

"I meant we couldn't_ see_ the survivors' pain or misery. Like we can here."

"Luke, you've been around tragedy all your life."

"Not like this."

"What's the difference?"

Luke took a moment and replied, "There was no _purpose_ to the deaths here. I can point to the deaths of my family and friends during the war and say that their sacrifices meant something. They died for a cause whether they knew it or not. The formation of the New Republic is the end result. But here...this was just nature reminding us how small we really are in the galaxy. There was no reason for it."

Mara added, "Fey'lya tried to find a reason."

"Exactly."

"Some people deal with tragedy in different ways. They try to find an answer why it happens and there is no answer. You saw how I reacted at not saving enough survivors. In a small way, I guess I got a taste of what you've experienced since you've been a Jedi."

"The thing is...I'm not even sure that what I wanted to say to him was right. There's something about this disaster that seems so familiar to me. Like a distant memory that I can't find."

"A vision?"

Luke considered and replied, "No. But there was a phrase that kept going through my mind. 'It's all according to plan.'"

"People usually say that when there is no answer."

Before Luke could elaborate, they heard footsteps coming up the entrance ramp. Coming inside the main area was Leia. "Oh. Sorry. Was I interrupting something?"

Mara replied, "Luke was just telling me about his non-confrontation with Fey'lya."

She looked at her brother, exasperated. "You still worried about that? You think too much, brother."

Mara ejected with, "Thank the Maker, someone agrees with me. And it happens to be a member of your immediate family." She nudged him gently.

"Go figure," Luke droned. Leia flopped on the opposite end of the bench looking tired. Luke asked her, "How has the rescue efforts been coming along?"

"I just spoke with Pel'aya. The latest figures hover around twenty thousand saved so far."

Mara uttered, "That's still a small percentage."

Leia countered with, "Not for their families."

When Leia turned her head back, Luke could see a ghost trail of tears. "Have you been crying more?"

Embarrassed, she wiped her cheek and admitted, "Yes. But not why you think. They're tears of parental joy." She was greeted by their looks that told her to explain. "You remember I told Fey'lya to set up a galactic fund for the Bothawui Rescue Effort? He did and in a half day we've already raised eleven _million_ credits."

Mara gasped, "Wow!"

"That's great, Leia. Where did it all come from?"

"Everyone in the galaxy. I told Fey'lya the galaxy can surprise him. Though, it helped that Ithor, Hapes, Tepasi, and Bestine put in two million each. There are corporations making large donations. Seinar Fleet Systems has donated several new load lifters. Hapes is donating their time to help. They'll have a fleet of workers here in a day's time. And get this - the Remnant Empire is donating credits too."

"I'd hate to be Palleon right about now," muttered Mara.

"The irony of all ironies," said Luke. "It's amazing that once you think the people of this galaxy are divided, they all come together in a tragedy."

Leia continued to say, "I know. And the rest of the donations are from common folk around the galaxy giving anything they can. Anywhere from ten credits to a hundred."

"It all adds up," Mara said.

"Yes it does," Leia beamed.

Luke stated, "But that's not why you were crying."

"Nope. I just got off the comm with Jaina back home. She's still mad that I wouldn't let her come along to help because it's too dangerous. I told her about the fund and she said she was going to put all of her savings from her allowance into it."

Luke figured, "Last time Han told me that was near three-thousand credits."

"I managed to convince her to only put in a thousand."

Mara smirked. "Negotiating with a Solo."

"Yes, she's a chip off the old blockhead." Leia paused and glared at Luke. "But she gives like a Skywalker." Luke nodded. Leia stood up and said, "I better take this chance to use the refresher before they get back."

Mara suggested, "Why don't you take turns like Luke and I did?"

Leia eyed her, "A Wookie caked with mud all day? Do you _know_ how long he'll be in there?"

"Say no more."

Leia started to head towards the corridor that led to the refresher but she stopped. She saw Luke and Mara's hands grasped together. She glanced at them and smiled. "You don't know how good it is to see you two finally together."

Mara quipped, "Leia, you've seen us together before."

"You know what I mean," she wryly answered before she disappeared around the corner.

"Guess that teaches me to talk back to my future sister-in-law."

"Hey, saying yes to me means you've inherited my family, too."

She said with a mix of relief and sadness, "Family isn't a concept I've been familiar with all my life. It's going to take some getting used to." She placed her hand on his knee and started to ease it down. Over the past few months since their engagement, Luke no longer considered her seductive action as awkward. It felt so right.

Not at that moment.

He placed his artificial hand over hers to stop the motion. "Please, Mara. Not now."

"Oh, still not used to having my hands in new places on purpose?"

"It's not that. I'm still thinking of all the survivors still out there. And all the dead."

She immediately retracted her hand. "Well, we know how you can sure kill a mood."

"Sorry. Feeling joy after seeing all those bodies makes me feel...," he trailed off in unknown thought.

"Guilty?" she supplied for him.

"Yes. That's it exactly."

She inched closer to his face and uttered softly, "Never feel guilty about being alive, Luke."

"And now I'm getting sage advice from you? When exactly did we switch places?"

"Trust me, you'll never want to walk in my shoes."

He dead-panned, "I don't think I could anyway. They're a few sizes too small for me."

She nudged him again and they laughed. "How are we going to survive as a couple when we're both such smart alecks?"

"We'll manage. Though, I'm not sure I have much of the smart-ass boy left in me. I'm _the_ Jedi Master. I'm supposed to have all the answers. Today, I didn't."

"We've been down this road before, Luke. On Niruan."

"Yes. _We_ have. _I_ know I don't have all the answers. Try telling that to the galaxy. I mean–I can't say for a fact that the Force _didn't_ have anything to do with bringing half a mountain down on top of a city. Nothing I feel in the Force says it did. But does that make it correct? I just don't know. And I don't think I have to."

She took a moment to smile at him and suddenly planted a kiss on his cheek. She released her touch and he asked, "What was that for?"

"That was my reaction to the knowledge that I am about to marry a very wise man."

Luke scoffed. "What's so wise about me? I'm just a farm boy from Tatooine."

"That's what makes you all the more special, _Farmboy_. And you are wise because you are not afraid to admit ignorance and you don't pretend otherwise. And not even a Tatooine sandstorm couldn't break your wi–" She stopped upon his sudden look of remembrance. "What is it?"

Luke sat straight up and exclaimed, "Sandstorm! _That's_ what's so familiar. 'It's all according to plan.' I remember now when he said it to me."

"Who?"

He looked at her and replied, "Uncle Owen. I couldn't have been more than five or six years old. A huge sandstorm came in from the west. It totally buried the old grandstand in Mos Espa. It hit many farms around Mos Eisley. If my memory serves, I think many of Uncle Owen's vaporators were destroyed." Luke nodded in memory but then his voice turned sad. "It took out a whole family and killed them all. It was one of my school mates. I remember asking Uncle Owen why I could never see him anymore. He told me about death. That it happens for the sake of happening. He didn't go into much detail. He shrugged it off and said 'It's all according to plan.'"

"But you didn't agree with that?"

"I don't exactly know what I was thinking then. But I do know that I didn't like that answer. I didn't like the plan, as it were. I kept wondering, whose plan is it that we're following? The Force? It certainly shows us what path to take. Is that the same as following a plan? Does it have a plan for us? For our marriage? Will one of us perish in a senseless tragedy like the one outside before we can enjoy our lives together?"

She nudged him again gently. "Hey, Luke. Stop it! You're going to make yourself crazy thinking like that. Take it from someone who _did_ follow a plan blindly to the last detail. After the Emperor died, I no longer had a plan. I didn't know what to do. Then I met you. You didn't stick to one plan. You did whatever felt right to you. I don't know if it's destiny or what. But you wrecked whatever plan there was. You made a choice. The galaxy has been affected by that choice. That's the only plan that matters. Your choices form your _own_ plan."

She paused for a moment and shifted in her seat. "The thousands of Bothans and others who died out there didn't chose to die. Your uncle was right about death happening for no reason. But I'll never agree that death has a set plan for each of us. And I'm rambling too deep in thought, which means I'm tired. How about I get our bunk ready for the night? You should come to bed too. After all, _you're_ the one who told me to rest."

"I want to get something to eat first."

"Ugh. Be my guest. I'm not hungry enough to eat anything in Han's fridge."

"I've got it covered. Trust me."

"I do, you know. Trust you. And tomorrow we'll find more survivors." She gave him a peck on his cheek. "I'll be waiting for you," she whispered seductively. She scooted herself out of the booth and she disappeared around the corridor.

Luke was left in silence once again. He got up and headed to the small area that Han called a kitchen. It consisted of a heat processor and a small fridge. Luke opened the fridge and bypassed what Han deemed as food to reach for his own ration kit. Luke always left one in there in case of emergencies. He brought the metal tray over to the chessboard and opened it. Luke took out a piece of dried ronto and started chewing on it. As he ate, he enjoyed the silence again.

Until he heard a faint call.

"Hello?" cried the voice.

Luke deduced it was Bothan and figured it was Pel'aya. He quickly chewed the bit of ronto already in his mouth and got up towards the entrance ramp. "Coming," he finally called out.

When he got to the open ramp, he found a Bothan standing on its edge. He seemed almost afraid of stepping any further. It wasn't Pel'aya. This Bothan male wore clothes that were tattered and caked with mud. There were several bacta patches placed on his arm and leg. Luke eased down the ramp with folded arms close to his body. The Bothawui air was still cool from the rains they had for a standard week. He watched the Bothan spot him. "Yes?" Luke greeted.

"Luke...Skywalker?" he said in deep broken Basic.

"Last time I checked," Luke replied and then winced at the smart-ass answer.

The Bothan didn't seem to notice. "I were told you are here. I am Mey'lya. I work at Bank Of Ltkim. Or...I did." He breathed out. "This is awkward. I was one of the people you and your woman friend saved today. I want to thank you for saving my life."

Luke smiled, remembering Mara's words about choices. "From what I understand, you have yourselves to thank. Three days with no food or water. That was very brave."

"More luck than bravery. A female human came into the bank today for business. She happened to stop at the market before she came in to the bank. When..._it_ happened, she was part of the group who managed to take cover in the basement, just as I was. She had water and a loaf of sayfri bread. We each took liberal amounts over the time."

"Sounds like I'm still not the one you should be thanking. Where is the woman now?"

Mey'lya's head went down. "She...died...on the surgery table after she was brought out. She was injured badly and lost too much blood." He paused and said stoically, "We shall honor her memory properly when the time is right. As well as others who perished."

"I'm sorry."

"But it was you and your female friend who allowed us to escape."

"We only did what needed to be done."

Mey'lya chuckled. "I heard of the Jedi Master being humble. Your modesty lives up to your character."

"I don't believe those who boast about their heroics can be called heroes. They're only calling attention to themselves, not the victims."

"Very wise."

It was Luke's turn to chuckle. "Been hearing that a lot today."

"And so you shall continue to hear it until the end of your days."

Luke nodded and mentioned, "Do you have family here?"

"Yes. On outskirts of Ltkim. A good twenty kilometers away. Very far from danger. I contacted them as soon as I was treated." He gave an emotional sigh and said, "No sound in the galaxy can compare to hearing their voices again."

Luke frowned, suddenly worried at what he would do if he could never hear Leia's, Han's, Chewie's...or Mara's voice ever again.

Mey'lya interrupted his thought and said, "Despite your modesty, I still do not know how to thank you."

Luke thought of a reply automatically, wondering where his voice was earlier that day. This time, he knew he was right. "Go to your family. Love them as long as you can. And make your own choices. _That's_ how you can thank me."

Mey'lya bowed to him. "As I said, very wise. Good luck to you, Master Jedi."

"And to you, Mey'lya."

The Bothan backed away and turned to leave.

He was alone again. Yet–he wasn't entirely alone. For whatever reason, he looked upward at the dark Bothawui sky. There were several clouds still obscuring the stars but, occasionally, there were a few hints at the universe beyond the planet.

He whispered softly to a ghost of his past. "And to you, Uncle Owen. You will always be in my heart. But to Hell with the plan."

THE END

_**Dedicated to the victims of Haiti**_


End file.
